Vacuum cleaner handle securing means



Feb. 15, 1955 E. P. TURNER VACUUM CLEANERHANDLE SECURINGMEANS Original Filed Nov. 5, 1947 3011942502 lYa 'yaP P Tamer United States Patent VACUUM CLEANER HANDLE SECURING MEANS Edgar P. Turner, Fanwood, N. J., assignor to The Singer Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Original application November 5, 1947, Serial No. 784,167. Divided and this application August 2, 1949, Serial No. 108,111

Claims. (Cl. 306-28) This invention relates to vacuum cleaners and has for its object to provide an improved mounting arrangement. whereby the handle of a vacuum cleaner can easily be connected to or disconnected from the body of the cleaner.

The invention consists in the devices, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment of the invention, from which the several features of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a vacuum cleaner embodying this invention, parts being broken away to show internal construction;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the vacuum cleaner shown in Fig. 1, parts also being broken away; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 1, and shows in detail the means for securing the handle to the trunnion arms.

The instance patent application is a division of my patent application Serial No. 784,167, filed November 5, 1947, now Patent No. 2,633,597.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the vcauum cleaner is shown as having an ambulatory casing or chassis formed from a lower chassis shell 11 and an upper chassis shell 12; the two shells being joined on a line inclined slightly to the horizontal and indicated in Fig. 2 by the numeral 13. The lower shell 11 is held to the upper shell 12 by a screw 14.

A combination electric motor and fan unit 19 is supported in the chassis 10 and the vacuum cleaner as a whole is supported on front and rear wheels 21 and 22.

The upper chassis shell 12 has a front wall 26, side walls 27, a top wall 28, and rear wall portions 29. Integral with the top wall 28 is a centrally located cupola 31 which extends above the wall 28 and, when the vacuum cleaner is fully assembled, overlies the motor-fan unit 19. The cupola 31 has a back wall portion 32 which extends a short distance to the rear of the back wall portion 29. The cupola 31 also has a front wall 33 and a pair of side walls 34. Adjacent opposite sides of the side walls 34, the top wall 28 of the upper shell 12 is provided with a pair of long narrow parallel slots 35, the purpose of which will appear presently, one of the slots 35 being shown in Fig. 1 by dash-dot lines.

The electrical components (not shown) of the motor are housed within two cup-like frame members 43 and 44, the lip-rim portions of which abut on a plane 46, which plane is perpendicular to the central axis of the motor-fan unit 19. This plane 46, as best seen in Fig. 1, also coincides with the longitudinal center line of the vacuum cleaner. Each of the motor-frame members 43, 44 is concentrically apertured, as at 47, for journaling the motor shaft 48. Impeller fans 51 and 52 are carried by opposite ends of the motor shaft 48. The fans 51 and 52 are respectively housed in fan casing 53 and 54 held to the respective motor frame members 43 and 44 by screws 56. Each of the fan casings is apertured by an intake eye 57 and each eye is surrounded by a cylindrical trunnion '58 that is formed integral with its fan casing and extends outwardly therefrom. The trunnions 58, which are formed on opposite ends of the motor-fan unit 19, each have an outer cylindrical surface 58.

The combination motor-fan unit 19 is primarily supported in the vacuum cleaner chassis 10 by having the ice two opposite trunnions 58 clamped between the upper and lower chassis shells 12 and 11. For a more complete showing of the means for supporting the motor-fan unit 19, reference may be had to my Patent No. 2,633,597, supra.

In addition to acting as a means for positioning and supporting the combined motor and fan unit 19 in the chassis 10, the two trunnions 58 provide a means for pivotally mounting a vacuum cleaner handle 70, only a lower portion of the handle being herein shown. The handle 70 has an inverted box portion 71 having a lower cover 75 secured thereto by a means not herein shown. A pair of flat trunnion arms 72 and 73 are provided and each trunnion arm has an aperture 74 into which is press fitted a bearing bushing 76, made from a bushing composition and having an internal bearing surface 77. This surface 77, in each case, is rotatably positioned on the outer cylindrical surface 58 of one of the trunnions 58. Each of the trunnion arms 72 and 73 has an outwardly extending rectangular extension 78 which passes through one of the two slots 35 and thereafter is secured to the box portion 71 of the handle 70. Each extension 78 is provided on opposite sides thereof with a pair of shoulders 80 which engage the box 71 and cover 75 thereby properly positioning the handle 70 with respect to the chassis 10. The means for securing the handle 70 to the extensions 78 includes a pair of posts 86 that are formed integral with and extend outwardly from the inner surface of the box 71. Each of the extensions 78 of the arms 72, 73 passes through an aperture 87 formed in the lower end of the handle 70 and is clamped to one of the posts 86 by means of an L-shaped clip 88. One leg 91 of the L-shaped clip 88 has its longitudinal dimension bent, that is to say, the leg 91 is bent about an axis positioned transversely to its longest dimension. This leg 91, when in position, is adjacent one side of the post 86, with one end of the leg entering a recess 102 formed in the box 71. The other leg 92, of the clip 88, passes over the end of the post 86 and is held thereto by a headed screw 89. The leg 92 extends beyond the post 86 and thereby enters an appropriately sized notch formed on one side of the extension 78. The leg 92 after it passes beyond the member 78 is formed with a small bent over portion or hook 93 which engages the extension 78 thereby holding the extension 78 adjacent the side of the post 86 which is remote from the side thereof which is adjacent the leg 91 of the clip 88. As the handle 70 is raised and lowered, the composition bushings 76 and the trunnion arms 72, 73 rotate as a unit with respect to the trunnions 58.

. From the foregoing, it will be noted that this invention has provided a vacuum cleaner that is compact and sturdily constructed, and in which means have been provided whereby the handle 70 can be detached quickly and easily from the trunnion arms 72-73. In the event that it becomes desirable to detach the handle 70 from the main vacuum cleaner casing or chassis 10, it is simply necessary to invert the vacuum cleaner including the chassis l0 and handle 70. Then the two screws 89, which of course had previously been screwed tight so as to stress the spring clips 88 and cause the hooks 93 to enter the notches 90, are loosened by a screw driver that may engage the heads of the screws by passing through the holes 95 provided in the cover 75. Loosening the two screws 89 will relax the clips 88 which thereby move the hooks 93 out of the notches 90 and permits the handle 70 to be detached from the trunnion arms 72 and 73.

The term trunnion, as herein used, refers to the two opposite cylindrical projections or similar structures 58 formed on opposite sides of the motor-fan unit 19. The term trunnion is not intended to convey the idea that the motor-fan unit turns on the trunnions as an axis. The trunnion arms 72'and 73 rotate with respect to the trunnions, but in the preferred form of construction there is no relative rotary motion between the trunnions and the chassis shells 11 and 12.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is:

1. Means for connecting two elements of a vacuum cleaner, one element comprising an arm and the other element comprising a box having an aperture for receiving said arm; said connecting means comprising, a post located within and secured to the inside of said box adjacent to said aperture, said post having a free end provided with an axially extending internally threaded hole; a spring clip having two legs at right angles to each other, one leg being positioned adjacent to one side of said post, and the second leg being apertured; a hook formed on the free end of said second leg; and a screw passing through said apertured leg and entering said threaded hole in said post, said hook engaging said arm and thereby holding said arm adjacent to the side of said post.

2. Means for connecting two elements of a vacuum cleaner, one element comprising a rectangular arm pro vided with a notch and the other element comprising a box having an aperture for receiving said arm; said connecting means comprising, a post located within and secured to the inside of said box adjacent to said aperture, said post having a free end provided with an axially extending internally threaded hole; a spring clip having two legs at right angles to each other, one leg being positioned adjacent to one side of said post, and the second leg being apertured; a hook formed on the free end of said second leg; and a screw passing through said apertured second leg and entering said threaded hole in said post, said hook engaging said arm and entering said notch, thereby holding said arm adjacent to the side of said post remote from the side adjacent to said first leg.

3. Means for connecting two elements of a vacuum cleaner, one element comprising a rectangular arm provided with a notch and the other element comprising a boX having an aperture for receiving said arm; said connecting means comprising, a post having its base located within and secured to the inside of said box adjacent to said aperture, said base forming with a portion of said box a recess adjacent to said base, and said post having a free end provided with an axially extending internally threaded hole; a clip having two legs at right angles to each other, one leg having an end adapted to fit into said recess adjacent to one side of said post, and the second leg being apertured; a hook formed on the free end of said second leg; and a screw passing through said apertured second leg and entering said threaded hole in said post, said hook engaging said arm and entering said notch, thereby holding said arm adjacent to the side of said post remote from the side adjacent said first leg.

4. Means for connecting two elements of a vacuum cleaner, one element comprising a rectangular arm provided with a notch and the other element comprising a box having an aperture for receiving said arm; said connecting means comprising, a post having its base located within and secured to the inside of said box adjacent to said aperture, said base forming with a portion of said box a recess adjacent to said base, and said post having a free end provided with an axially extending internally threaded hole; an L-shaped spring clip having legs of ditferent lengths, the longer leg being bent about an axis positioned transversely to. its length and said longer leg having an end adapted to fit into said recess adjacent to one side of said post, and said shorter leg being apertured; a hook formed on the free end of said shorter leg; and a screw passing through said apertured shorter leg and entering said threaded hole in said post, said hook engaging said arm and entering said notch, thereby holding said arm adjacent to the side of said post remote from the side adjacent said longer leg.

5. Means for connecting two elements of a vacuum cleaner, one element comprising a rectangular arm provided with a notch and the other element comprising a box having an aperture for receiving said arm; said connecting means comprising, a post having its base located within and secured to'the inside of said box adjacent to said aperture, said base forming with a portion of said box a recess adjacent to said base, and said post having a free end provided with an axially extending internally threaded hole; an L-shaped spring clip having legs of different lengths, the longer leg being bent about an axis positioned transversely to its length and said longer leg having an end adapted to fit into said recess adjacent to one side of said post, and said shorter leg being apertured; a hook formed on the free end of said shorter leg; a screw passing through said apertured shorter leg and entering said threaded hole in said post, said hook engaging said arm and entering said notch, thereby holding said arm adjacent to the side of said post remote from the side adjacent said longer leg; and a cover for said box, said cover having a hole permitting access to said screw while said cover is covering said box.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,477,243 Coates Dec. 11, 1923 2,099,172 McCabe et a1 Nov. 16, 1937 2,167,740 Becker Aug. 1, 1939 2,202,979 Becker June 4, 1940 2,471,191 Boshaw May 24, 1949 2,540,178 Smith Feb. 6, 1951 

